4of16Houston native Denzel Wells, the alpha male competing on the current season of America s Next Top Model. He graduated from Rice University and was also a football star.Photo: --, STR

5of16Houston native Denzel Wells is a finalist on "America's Next Top Model."Photo: Don Elmore

6of16Denzel Wells played football at Rice University and Texas State University before being cast on "America's Next Top Model."Photo: Don Elmore

7of16Denzel Wells, who grew up in Aldine and Cypress, is one of nine remaining finalists on America s Next Top Model, airing Fridays on the CW.Photo: Don Elmore

8of16Denzel Wells is one of the finalists on America s Next Top Model, airing Fridays on the CW. This is the second cycle creator Tyra Banks has included male models in the mix.Photo: Don Elmore

9of16Rice wide receiver Denzel Wells (left) heads back to the field after a shooting a video profile during Rice University's football team media day at Rice Stadium Saturday, Aug. 7, 2010, in Houston
James Nielsen ChroniclePhoto: James Nielsen, Staff

14of16Denzel Wells, Clay Herbert, and Shane Turner are committing to Rice University and the recruits will be signing with Feb. 6, 2008. Athletes photographed at the Houston Chronicle as part of the National Signing Day coverage. Photo by Mayra Beltran / ChroniclePhoto: Mayra Beltran, Staff

Denzel Wells, in a sequence that seems made for the movies, has gone from the football field to the fashion runway.

The Houston native, who grew up in Aldine and Cypress, is one of nine remaining finalists on "America's Next Top Model," airing Fridays on the CW. This is the second cycle in which creator Tyra Banks has included male models.

Wells, 24, attended Cypress Falls High School and earned a football scholarship to Rice University. He also played one season at Texas State University. During a December 2012 game, San Antonio photographer Don Elmore snapped a photo of Wells.

"I just had a feeling that he was someone who would go far in modeling or acting," Elmore says. "He just seemed to have the complete package."

That frame led to more photo shoots with Elmore, two covers of Dallas-based Krave Magazine and, eventually, "ANTM." Wells also has a recurring role on the Tyler Perry series "If Loving You Is Wrong," airing Tuesdays on Oprah Winfrey's OWN network. The Rice grad lives in Austin but returns home to visit his mother in Cypress.

Wells, who was given a "beard wave" during the show's makeovers, has aggressively touted his "alpha male" persona in past episodes. He criticized openly gay model Will Jardell's decision to wear heels during the show and has repeatedly said he wants a "real man" to win. The comments earned Wells a fierce scolding from Banks, several other contestants and "ANTM" fans.

Q: What's your take on the show now that it's been airing?

A: The editors are damn good. They're definitely earning their paycheck. It's television. You can't take it to heart. It has to be interesting to the viewers.

Q: Do you feel like you're being portrayed as a villain?

A: Somebody always has to be the bad guy. It just makes for good TV. If I had it my way, I'd definitely be portrayed in a different light. But it is what it is. Not everybody's going to like you, no matter who you are, no matter what you do. It's all about how you react to it. It's one of those hazards of being in the industry. If you can't take criticism, you probably won't last very long.

Q: What is the biggest misconception about you?

A: People feel I have a certain malice toward (gay) people. That's not the case. We live in a world now where, I feel, people are overly sensitive. If you speak out against one person who is of a certain sexuality, it automatically looks like you're speaking out against everybody. It had nothing to do with LGBT (people) or anything like that. There are certain things men shouldn't do, and there are certain things men should do. Sexuality has no bearing on that opinion. Never once have I said Will is a bad person. It's just a matter of my own personal opinion.

Q: What was the biggest challenge on the show?

A: Definitely the beard. My modeling potential is what got me on the show, and now you've covered my face up. I liked it at first. It's something that I really couldn't do myself. But it's really tough working this beard week in, week out and the itching and the hair just poking into my skin and the cement glue being put on my face and causing my skin to break out. But I feel that Tyra couldn't have done that to anyone else. I was the only one mentally who could progress through it.

Q: You've repeatedly said you want an "alpha male" to win the competition. What does that mean, exactly?

A: An alpha male is just someone who's authoritative, who stands behind who they are, who's confident, comfortable with who they are, who can command a room, who commands a presence. That could be any male in this competition. The problem is, again, if you use a phrase like that, people wanna define it sexually. Last time I checked, masculinity had nothing to do with sexuality.

Q: Your romance with fellow model Mirjana Puhar has been a central storyline for several episodes.

A: I was actually pretty shocked that it happened. Honestly, I'm really not too attracted to women in my age range or below. I've always dated women in their early 30s, late 20s. (Puhar was 18 on the show.) But we definitely click. We definitely enjoy each other's company. I do hate the way she's being portrayed on the show. But nobody knows her like I know her. It sounds so cliché, but it really is true.

Q: Why has your relationship been such a point of discussion in the house?

A: I believe they are a little envious. The connection between Mirjana and I is far greater than anybody else's in the house. It's a good feeling, and people are definitely gonna hate that. People need something to talk about.

Q: When you're back in Houston, what's your first stop?

A: We always, always go to Pappadeaux. It never fails. It's just a mother-son tradition. Whether it's Kirby and Richmond, whether it's 290, we're going to a Pappadeaux.

Joey Guerra is the music critic for the Houston Chronicle. He also covers various aspects of pop culture. He has reviewed hundreds of concerts and interviewed hundreds of celebrities, from Justin Bieber to Dolly Parton to Beyonce. He’s appeared as a regular correspondent on Fox26 and was head judge and director of the Pride Superstar singing competition for a decade. He has been named journalist of the year multiple times by both OutSmart Magazine and the FACE Awards. He also covers various aspects of pop culture, including the local drag scene and "RuPaul's Drag Race."